Room To Dream

LoveReading4Kids Says

Change is afoot for 12-year-old Mia, and this latest novel in Kelly Yang’s exceptional Front Desk series perfectly encapsulates the tricky initial shift from childhood with the author’s characteristic compassion, wisdom and pitch-perfect ability to explore big themes with potent relatability. I can’t recommend this series enough — it’s perfection.

Everything is changing at once for Mia. She’s moved to Middle School, but her best friend Lupe is taking lots of extra classes, which means they don’t get to spend so much time together. And what’s going on with Jason? He’s started acting weird around her, and it’s hard to know how to react. Alongside this, their neighbourhood is changing, with big chains buying up beloved locally-owned stores and restaurants.

In better news, Mia’s mum has qualified to teach maths after overcoming money obstacles and anti-immigrant attitudes (though those attitudes remain), and now she, her family, and adorable Hank, are visiting China for the first time since emigrating to California. To her family’s surprise, China has changed too. Their relatives are wealthier, but big chains are putting small companies out of business there, too. Mia is also hurt by some of her relatives’ sexist, colourist remarks. All of which adds up to a poignant, comprehensible portrayal of the problems of globalisation, and issues arising from being of two cultures — it can be hard to feel like you belong anywhere.

Back in California, escalating problems with a developer sniffing around their community-owned motel sees Mia fight the big, bad bullies in the best way she knows — with her wit, love, and pen. As Lupe likes to say, “You can’t win if you don’t play!” Led by Mia, the Calivista Motel community throw themselves into the high-stakes game, with beautiful results. The world would be a better place with more Mias in it, and more writers like Kelly Yang.

Joanne Owen

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